Plot synopsis The Shadow Box

the play takes place on twenty-four hours, in 3 separate cottages on grounds of large hospital, in united states. within 3 cabins 3 patients: joe, brian , felicity, live respective families have reached end of treatment. have agreed part of psychological scheme live within hospital grounds , have interviews psychiatrist.

act one

it morning , joe sitting in interview area talking interviewer. introduced idea dying , family arrive, whom hasn’t seen of treatment. ‘the interviewer’ acts tool each of patients , families relay feelings situation; characters speak bluntly interviewer. each of families introduced in section of play. when joe’s wife , son, maggie , steve, arrive, becomes apparent maggie avoiding dealing prospect of future without joe. refuses enter cabin, while steve has no idea of father’s impending death.

brian takes aloof approach illness; wants live each day until last. rather skirt issues, confronts them dark humor. young gay lover mark him @ camp. beverly, brian s trashy devoted ex-wife arrives.

the third family felicity , daughter agnes. felicity old woman drifts between senility , combative lucidness. daughter agnes mousy, browbeaten spinster tries keep mother happy fictional letters daughter in fact long dead.

it normal day each of these characters; getting learn individuality heart of play. act flows between serious , humorous, without beat in between. first act reveals each of 3 characters radically different. connected futures, whether terminal or not. act ends joe , maggie beginning talk, agnes struggling connect mother, , brian , beverly dancing.

act two

it nearing evening. joe still coaxing maggie come cabin, brian , beverly reminiscing, while mark becomes frustrated lover s jollity, , agnes begins talk interviewer. act continues, cracks shown in brian’s brutal forthrightness illness , mark s feelings impending death. beverly provides raw insight within seemingly scattered exterior. joe , maggie continue struggle have real conversation future. agnes reveals secret sister claire. learn died years ago in accident in louisiana. on past 2 years agnes has been writing letters mother sister, , interviewer presents hard questions. more learned characters lives before became ill, material makes current situation more poignant. end of act no moral conclusions have been drawn, no 1 has died, , no 1 going live forever. audience thinks not each person s impending death ‘moment’ each has live.